Its December 2020 – The Forgotten 2nd Cancer

We have arrived in the final month of 2020 and for many of us I am sure we will be glad to see the back of 2020. What a contrast to Nov/Dec 18/19 when I was fortunate to go on the adventures of a lifetime to Argentina and Peru. I have had the photos pop up for the last month to give me a reminder of those amazing trips. Back in reality the latest national lockdown has ended and we are feeling hopeful about a trip to Scotland to see family over Christmas. But first it is December and back to Marsden HQ.

As some of you may recall 4 years ago I discovered that along with melanoma I also had DCIS (precancerous breast cancer) found in my right breast. As if dealing with one cancer wasn’t bad enough there was also a second to contend with. At the time, I had a horror month of a lot of tests and appointments at different hospitals across London with different doctors and several opinions and the situation only improved after all my medical care was all moved to the Royal Marsden. Shortly after this, the melanoma advanced to stage 4 and the precancerous breast cancer was put on the back burner as the melanoma was treated as high priority.  As my Oncologist explained to me its all about managing risks. Last month I received a reminder to go for a mammogram so it was time to revisit and check up on the forgotten 2^nd cancer.  

I had a mammogram 10 days ago and a follow up appointment to review the results. My doctor said the mammogram looked very similar to 4 years ago which I took as positive but there was one area of thickening that they wanted to double check so they were sending me for an MRI, ultrasound and biopsy. I have to admit that I left the hospital with my head in a bit of a tailspin.  As I have been so focused on melanoma for the last 3 years and have felt very fortunate that it has been brought under control and for the last 2 years I have been able to live a fairly normal life with minimal side effects from the drugs I am on.  I was feeling that a Pandora’s box had just been opened and the December factor was about to rear its ugly head.

It just happened that last week, my regular melanoma scans were also scheduled so it was a week of almost daily trips to the Marsden. I had an MRI scan of the chest; this was an uncomfortable experience as you are face down breasts in cones and arms over your head as you go into the scanner.  After lying still in that position for half an hour, I came to the conclusion that this made the brain scan seem relaxing and I never thought I would be saying that. On Wednesday, I had my body CT and MRI of the brain plus blood tests which proved to be a challenge as one of the veins in my arm burst.  Feeling stressed, I left the Marsden and headed off for lunch with my good friend Liz and chatting with her helped to calm me down. It is amazing what a bit of lunch and a cup of tea can do for you so big thank you Liz as by the time I returned to get the blood tests done again in the afternoon it was quick and successful and I was able to head home for the day.

On Friday morning it was back to the hospital for an ultrasound and biopsy of the right breast.  I spoke to the doctor and she told me that the MRI scan of the right breast had shown up 2 very tiny lumps which they were going to biopsy.  On the ultrasound they could only see one of the lumps so they did the biopsy and now I have to wait for the results later this month on to see what happens next. On Friday afternoon I was having my regular clinic appointment with my Oncologist to get my latest melanoma scan results and this was making me feel very nervous. I had a quick walk up and down the Kings Road to calm myself down before returning to the hospital. You are not allowed to have partners with you at the hospital just now due to COVID restrictions so there was no rockstar husband by my side. I just had to put the big girls pants on and get on with it and this is sometimes easier said than done. I took big inspiration from the amazing Bowelbabe who has recently been documenting her latest surgery on social media and thought if she can be getting through this on her own without any fuss then I can get on with getting my scan results.

It was good to see my Oncologist and nurse in person (well masked up)  as consultations have all been over the phone due to COVID. But since I was already in the hospital then it made sense for me to get my scan results in person rather than rushing home to wait for a phone call.  I was delighted to hear that the melanoma CT and MRI scans were good and 3 years on from started my targeted drugs Debrafenib and Trametinib my melanoma is under control and I was told as far as the melanoma is concerned we are in the best place possible. I felt a huge relief that at least it was good news. The other positive is that as both of my Doctors are at the Marsden then they will talk to each other if I do need further treatment following the results of the breast biopsy. I left the hospital feeling in a better mood although I do have to admit my delight was slightly tainted by the fact I have to wait for the results of the biopsy and what happens next.

At this point I have to say a big thank you to the teams at the Royal Marsden. I know that in the time of COVID it has been hugely challenging for staff and patients.  I know I am very fortunate to be treated by such wonderful teams and there is a village of them from the security guards on the door to the receptionists, cleaners, radiologists, pharmacists, nurses and doctors everything has been handled efficiently and quickly so whatever is next I know I am in the best hands and that is hugely reassuring.  

Since the last blog when we were just a week away from the Giants Causeway Challenge like all other events it was postponed to next year. It was disappointing as we had been training hard and were looking forward to it. But next year we will be back onto the challenge cause and raising more funds for the team at the Royal Marsden. If you are interested to join us we have a number of challenges planned for 2021 including a team at the Royal Parks Half Marathon, the Giants Causeway Big Hike in July and the Blenheim Triathlon in September.  If you would like to join us or plan your own challenge please let me know and thank you as always for all of your support.

Last month, the Duke of Cambridge laid the foundation stone to mark the building works of the new Royal Marsden Oak Cancer Centre, which will be a state of the art cancer research facility, based at the hospital in Sutton. The new facility will bring together over 400 researchers under the same roof as patients and clinicians in spaces designed to encourage collaboration and to put patients at the heart of research. The building is due to open in 2022 and you can find out more here. https://www.royalmarsden.org/blog/hrh-duke-cambridge-lays-foundation-stone-state-art-cancer-research-facility

In addition, I made my first billboard appearance on one of the hoardings going around the building.  I haven’t seen it yet but ones of the girls at the charity kindly sent me a picture. As the saying goes it’s never too late to make it onto a billboard.

In the meantime, I have been out and about staying active and doing some hikes during lockdown to keep myself sane and stay fit and well preparing for the next adventure. Enjoy the run up to Xmas and I’ll be back soon with more Shomelanoma updates.